Text: Mark 10:1-45. Hymn: 865, Lord Help Us Ever to Retain.
Time Out sports a fresh introduction and wrap-up. I think they turned out well.
This hymn mentions Martin Luther by name, but the hymn isn’t about Luther. It’s about keeping doctrine simple and true. The hymn itself is quite simple, to drive the point home.
Dan
iggyantiochus
It’s interesting that the last verse links confession and absolution to the Sacrament.
It falls between Baptism at the end of verse 3 and Communion at the end of verse 4, so it appears that this hymn favors Confession and Absolution as one of the sacraments.
The question is, where is the visible means? One might consider the laying on of hands as the visible means, as the pastor may lay hands on the individual and absolves his sins.
A bit of irony: the LCMS website states that Confession and Absolution is not a sacrament by the historic Lutheran definition (no visible means), yet the Small Catechism, LW and LSB place the Confession and Absolution between Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.